Road Trip Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
Hey everyone, in this article we will share with you our ro road trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
Our adventure in Sri Lanka was continuing and we were now in one of the most famous parts, the journey from Kandy to Ella.
There are multiple options for that, but the one we opted for was to road trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and then take the train from Nuwara Eliya to Ella.
This allowed us to have the best experience ever as from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya we stopped at the Ambuluwawa Mountain Hill, the Poonaella viewpoint and the Labookellie Tea factory while still having one of the most famous train journeys in the world until Ella for the best part of the tracks.
We opted to stop overnight in Nuwara Eliya, but you could easily do the road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and the train to Nuwara Eliya to Ella in one day.
And that’s actually something we would recommend doing.
In this article, we will tell our road trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. So, if you too are planning a trip to Sri Lanka and to Nuwara Eliya, then let ‘s dive in this road trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya.
And we will offer you a variation, as you could skip the night in Nuwara Eliya and go straight to Ella with the afternoon train.
Here is our complete video from this trip :
Table of Contents
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
Where to Stay
Our favourite accommodation in Kandy
- ($):Â Remli Villa
- ($$): The Summit
- ($$$): Aarunya Nature Resort & Spa
Â
Our favourite accommodation in Nuwara Eliya
- ($):Â Heidis Home
- ($$): La Grande Villa
- ($$$): W15 Lake Gregory
Â
Our favourite accommodation in Ella
- ($):Â Lavendra Paradise
- ($$): CHILL VILLE, VIEW POINT HOTEL
- ($$$): Tea Cabins
Road Trip Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
Introduction
We woke up to a beautiful day, after some yoga, it was time for breakfast on the rooftop. There we met a Swiss couple doing a road trip in Tuktuk.
We then hopped on the car and started our journey toward Nuwara Eliya. Heshan, our driver was the host from our accommodation in Kandy, he offered to drive us the day before when we arrived. We must say that he was the best and the most awesome driver we had in Sri Lanka. His English was great, and he discussed so much with him, exchanges ideas and learnt a lot!
Our first stop was right outside of Kandy, the Ambuluwawa Mountain Hill. There we stopped at the main gate and then took a tuktuk to the tower.
Ambuluwawa Mountain Hill
The Ambuluwawa Mountain Hill is a modern construction with a breathtaking panorama of the region.Plus, it is so much so fun to reach its top as the stairs are super narrow.
Viewpoints and waterfalls
The road toward Nuwara Elyia was simply beautiful and passing by so many tea fields. Our next stop was the Poonaella viewpoint where we went on the rooftop of a shop and from where we had such a stunning view. We could even see 2 waterfalls.
Along the way, we also discussed with Heshan about train tickets. We asked him last minute if he could arrange tickets and he managed to get one from Nuwara Eliya to Ella the next day in the afternoon. He got us 3rd class through a travel agency with delivery of ticket in our hotel in Nuwara Elyia. It was more expensive but at least we got tickets.
Tea factory
The last stop before reaching Nuwara Eliya was the Labookellie Tea factory. We received a complementary cup of tea before doing the factory tour which was short but interesting.
We visited Labookellie Tea factory of Damro which possess over 5,000 hectares of lush tea plantations, spread across all major tea-growing regions in Sri Lanka, from and are producing an array of Ceylon’s finest teas, ranging from Rotorvane, Orthodox, CTC and Green tea, largely to cater to the wide demands of local and international markets.
Tea Plantation
A few kilometers after, we made an unexpected stop on the side of the road to be able to walk a bit in the tea plantation and then drove all the way to our accommodation Nuwara Eliya where we received our train ticket to Ella.
Train to Ella
Even though, we stayed overnight in Nuwara Eliya, we didn’t truly find it worth it. We would recommend taking the train to Ella from Nuwara Eliya, right away after your road trip. This way, you get to see the beautiful road to Nuwara Eliya and then take one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. This will also save you one night that you could spend in Ella or somewhere else in Sri Lanka.
It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
